Crossing The Line
by javagenesis
Summary: Luke Danes and Lorelai Gilmore have had a steady, five year friendship. In all that time, they have never crossed the imaginary line between a friendship and a relationship. That hasn't stopped them from wondering about what it be like when, if, they ever worked up the courage to have 'more'. Will they survive Crossing The Line, or will they wish they never had given it a shot?
1. A Little Spruce

**A/N:** **This is my first attempt at writing fanfiction. This is centered on the relationship between Luke and Lorelai in Gilmore Girls, starting from Season 1, Episode 14, "That Damn Donna Reed." I've used a bit of dialogue from the show, especially in the first couple of chapters. I don't own the show or it's characters. Hopefully you all like. Will appreciate any comments, follows or anything like that. Thanks!**

* * *

 **Are we just going to stay like this forever, floating?**

 **I'm serious, my heart is furious.**

 **Cause I'm confused when we're together.**

 **Feels like I'm choking, these emotions.**

 **I know I'm gonna let you down.**

 **So don't hold your breath now.**

 _ **–We Won't, Jaymes Young and Phoebe Ryan**_

* * *

 **A Little Spruce**

Lorelai watched as Luke slammed the door behind Andrew and flipped over the "OPEN" sign.

"That's it. We're closed for the night," He said grumpily, turning back around to face her.

"You know, listen," She paused for a moment before deciding he wasn't too grumpy yet, "Since you have to take everything off the walls to decide what stuff you're going to keep and what stuff you're to get rid of."

He looked at her with that hard look of his. "Everything stays."

"OK, there's a plastic dancing pork chop that says…"

"Everything stays," He repeated evenly.

"I lost my head over a good chop. You should too," Lorelai said, her voice taking on a tone that let him know just how ridiculous she thought he was being.

"Everything stays," Luke told her, his tone letting her know that this decision was final.

"Ok. Everything stays," She agreed, understanding that she could only push him so far.

"You know, this place hasn't been painted since my dad was alive," He told her, not liking the look of hurt that had flashed across her face quickly before being replaced by a very nonchalant expression.

"No, I didn't know that," She replied, managing a smile for him.

"He painted it before he opened it and once more when the roof caved in one winter. I think that's probably it," Luke explained.

"The paint lasted a long time. He got his money's worth."

"Yep. He really loved this place, you know. This store was his life. Mine too, I guess. I spent every minute I wasn't in school here. I spent a lot of minutes I was supposed to be in school in here too," Luke admitted freely, liking the look of interest on Lorelai's face. It wasn't very often that they got to have real conversations like this. It wasn't that he disliked their friendly bickering but sometimes it was nice to actually tell Lorelai things about himself, and she do the same.

"How come you opened a diner? Why didn't you keep it a hardware store?" Lorelai inquired.

"I don't know. I didn't love the hardware business the way my dad did, and, you know, I knew how to cook, so I just thought a diner would be more," Luke paused for a moment, considering, searching for the right word, "Fun."

"That's a hard word for you to say," Lorelai told him, laughing. Luke watched as her eyes lit up and her whole face suddenly seemed radiant. She was so bright and cheerful. He couldn't help the satisfied feeling he got from knowing that it was him who had made her laugh.

Luke let himself enjoy the moment with her and laughed too, saying, "Yeah. I just always wanted to work here. Just where Dad did."

"God that's nice. To be so… I don't know, connected to your dad. That's," She broke off before finding the right thing to say, "I would have loved that."

"Well you've got that with Rory," He reminded her. Luke knew of Lorelai's strained relationship with her parents all too well. It seemed like after every one of the Friday Night Dinner's she went to that she was at the diner, looking defeated and requesting coffee and pie to get her through the rest of the night.

"Yeah... I guess so," She said quietly, managing a soft smile. Lorelai was grateful that he always tried to make her feel better. It was nice, knowing that someone wanted you to be happy and would always try to make you happy.

"You know," Luke said, trying to change the subject, "I still think there's a spot on the wall somewhere where my dad took an order one day when he ran out of paper."

"Really?" Lorelai asked, welcoming the distraction. "Where?"

"I don't know," Luke said, "Behind the counter maybe."

He watched as Lorelai stepped around the counter, looking for the order. Luke knew exactly where the order was written, but it was something to distract her from whatever had happened more recently with her parents that was getting her down.

"Next to the door. On the right side," Luke suggested, watching her search.

"Oh. Huh. Here it is: "Three hammers, Phillips-head screwdrivers…" Lorelai started to read to him, now sitting cross legged on the floor beside the order.

"…And three boxes of nails in assorted sizes," Luke finished, stepping around the counter to join her on the floor.

"Oh," Lorelai said, looking at him for an explanation.

"I've seen it from time to time," He admitted, before sharing a quick laugh with her.

"Yeah, well, I guess it is time for a little spruce," Luke admitted.

"Yeah, it is," Lorelai agreed gently, "But let's not spruce this particular spot."

"That sounds good," Luke told her.

"Okay."

Luke looked at Lorelai and wondered, for what felt like the millionth time, what it would be like to just pull her to him and kiss her. But before he could say anything to her, about anything, they heard voices outside. Luke peered around the counter and saw Taylor Doosey, Andrew and the other members of the Town Beautification Committee.

"Oh, jeez," Luke grumbled, moving to get up and tell them to buzz off.

"No, no, don't get up," Lorelai told him, holding his arm so he'd stay with her.

"But if I don't get up…" Luke began to argue.

"…They'll go away. They'll go away, trust me," Lorelai finished, hushing him with a, "Shh."

They stay quiet while Taylor rattles the doorknob, trying to get inside. Lorelai moves so she's on all fours, letting out a little giggle as she watches Taylor struggling to get inside. Luke watched Lorelai watching Taylor, who eventually gives up and leaves with the rest of the Committee following behind him. The way she was smiling, well, it was honestly breathtaking.

"Thank you," He told her softly, trying to not be affected by the soft floral scent of her perfume.

"You're welcome," She tells him, softly, her eyes meeting his.

Luke couldn't help it. She was so beautiful, and so, so close. Too close for her own good, if he was being honest. He had dreamed about something like this for years. It was the perfect opportunity to just kiss her, to let her know what she had been missing all these years.

Lorelai's clear blue eyes looked brighter than he had ever seen them. They stayed trained on his, unblinking in the stillness of the moment. He knew that she was thinking about it too. He knew she wanted him to, maybe just to see what it was like. Luke Danes knew she had certainly thought about it before. It was only yesterday that he had caught her staring at him from her table near the window in the diner. She had blushed and quickly turned away. Luke had never mentioned the stolen glances before, but only because he did it too.

The blue shirt she was wearing matched her eyes, making them look bluer than he had ever seen them. That was a miracle in itself, as he had seen her almost every day for the last five years of his life. Not that he would openly admit it to her, but he had spent the last five years waiting and hoping she would walk through the diner door speaking a mile a minute in a caffeine frenzy and a warm, sparkly smile plastered across her face.

His eyes drifted down uncontrollably to her lips. He could see her teeth pull at the inside of her bottom lip, reminding him of just how much he wanted this; wanted her.

Luke leaned in slightly, his lips only a few centimeters from hers. He watched as her eyes suddenly gained focus. Lorelai pulled away a little, turning her head from him. He knew then he had crossed a line with her. She wasn't ready. But would she ever be?

"Luke…" She murmured, as she felt his hand reach for her and rest on her shoulder. He wanted far more than she could ever give him. Lorelai knew she wasn't enough good for Luke. She could never be that stable, constant women he needed and deserved.

"Lorelai," He answered, not saying anything more. She knew what he wanted. There was no way she couldn't know.

"The line, Luke," She reminded him quietly.

"What line?" He asked her, genuinely confused about what she was saying.

"The friendship line, the no going back line, Luke," Lorelai told him. "Us… Rory… She's not ready… I'm not ready."

"What line, Lorelai?" Luke asked her again. "We crossed that line a long time ago."

"No, Luke, no," She told him, pulling back from his touch entirely. "I can't cross that line with you."

"Lorelai…" Luke said softly, drawing out the end of her name.

He watched her in silence as she crossed her arms tight over her chest, holding herself together. Luke didn't want to scare her away or make her feel uncomfortable, but he had reached a stage in his life where he felt it had to be now.

Indecision swept across her delicate features. Lorelai didn't know what to do. Could she stay? And what about Rory? How would she feel, how would it affect her? What happened if, no, when, she screwed up their relationship? Where would she get her coffee? And what about Danish Days? There were too many questions that she couldn't or didn't want to answer.

It wasn't that she hadn't thought about Luke like that before. She certainly had after comments from the others around town about the way he looked at her. It was more about the fact that she wasn't ready to be committed like that, not in the way she would have to be if she ever did choose to cross that line.

"Lorelai," Luke repeated, concerned about her silence. For a women who was almost never stopped speaking, she was disconcertingly silent.

"I can't," Lorelai said finally, standing up and chewing on her bottom lip as she did. She brushed her dark brown curls over her shoulders, just looking back at Luke. She didn't feel like he had anything more to say to him but from the expression on his ace, she could tell he wasn't quite ready.

"Okay," Luke said quietly. "I respect that, I do," He told her, before adding, "But I want more, more of you. So, please, just don't…" He fell silent. He couldn't finish his sentence, not when she was looking at him with those shimmering, blue eyes of hers.

"Don't, what?" Lorelai asked quietly, feeling guilty. She couldn't remember if she had ever seen Luke look so uncertain, so lost. He had always been a strong pillar for her to lean on. Seeing him looking like that was almost unfathomable to her. It was worse knowing that he looked like that because of her. She had hurt Luke, and she wasn't even in a relationship with him.

Luke hesitated. Should he tell her, or should he not? After a few moments, he decided he had nothing left to lose. "Just don't shut me out. I don't want to lose you, or your friendship, by asking you for something you might not ever be ready for."

He watched her as she considered what he was saying. "You won't lose me, Luke, not as a friend," Lorelai told him quietly, before picking up her jacket and her bag. She took a few steps towards him, but stopped, considering. Luke stood entirely still, just watching her and waiting as she made up her mind about what to do.

Lorelai closed the gap between them and slowly stood up on the tips of her toes. She leaned in to kiss his cheek softly, murmuring, "Goodnight, Luke," against his skin. Lorelai turned away from him and walked out of the dinner, the bells on the door jangling behind her.

Luke stayed where he was, his eyes unable to leave her turned back as she walked away from him. When she disappeared around a corner, he raised a hand to touch the place on his cheek where she had gently pressed her lips. Luke could still feel her breathe against her skin.

He knew he was insane lusting after Lorelai Gilmore like he was, but for him, there was no one else he would rather have. She was strong, determined and passionate about everything she did. Unlike Rachel, Lorelai had been a constant figure head in his life for years. She hadn't flitted in and out of his life like some kind of lunatic butterfly. And Lorelai would do anything for those she loved. He had seen her sacrifice everything from meals to professional development courses just so she could buy Rory a new book she wanted. Lorelai gave up hours of her time to volunteer for the ridiculous town festivals and had helped him, Patty, Babette, and countless others numerous times without being asked. In his mind, Lorelai Gilmore stood on a golden pedestal and other women he knew could compare to her.


	2. The Runaway Chick

**A/N:** **Thanks for reading. Will update soon!**

* * *

 **I am not really known for ever being speechless**

 **But now, but now somehow my words roll off my tongue right onto your lips, oh**

 **I'm keeping cool while you keep smiling saying all the things I'm thinking**

 **I am like you so I want proof I'm what you're feeling**

 **Cause if I want you, and I want you, babe**

 **Ain't going backwards, won't ask for space**

 **Cause space was just a word made up by someone who's afraid to get too close, ooh**

 _ **-Close, Nick Jonas feat. Tove Lo**_

* * *

 **The Runaway Chick**

Lorelai couldn't help the few stray tears that flew down her cheeks as she walked home. She made no move to wipe them away, preferring instead to just let them fall. It wasn't fair. She didn't want to feel like she did, angry and sad and empty, all at the same time.

It hadn't been easy for her to resist him like she had. Luke Danes had the effect on her. When he had leaned in that little bit further, it had taken everything in to her to pull away. She had wanted him to kiss her. That was a fact. But letting him kiss her would have ruined everything she had worked for in this town. She had a good life with good friends and a stable job. Kissing Luke would have been the first step in throwing herself down a cliff. Worse, she would have dragged down Rory with her.

But the truth was, she could still smell his intoxicating scent. She could still picture his vividly intense eyes in her mind. She could still feel the smooth skin of his cheek against her lips.

"God, stop," Lorelai told herself angrily.

What was she doing, thinking about Luke like that?

And what the hell did he mean? He wanted 'more'? More, what?

More of her? That didn't even make sense to her.

How could anyone want more of her, anyway? She was a hot mess on the best of days, and definitely not in the good kind of way.

Lorelai walked faster, needing to get home. It wasn't long before she was practically running up the porch steps of her house. She fumbled with the lock for a few seconds efore she finally managed to make it inside.

She was suddenly very glad that Rory was over at Babette's looking after her new kitten. She wouldn't be around to see her mother moping around.

Lorelai changed out of her jeans and her t-shirt, and pulled on the first pair of pajamas she found. Heading downstairs, she couldn't help but wonder if Luke was okay. Had she hurt him by refusing to give him the 'more' he had asked for? Probably. That's just who she was, Hurricane Lorelai, the most terrible hurricane that ever came out of the heavens. She ripped through places and through people, leaving only debris and broken hearts in her wake.

She managed a small smile for herself. It felt good to wallow, even if it was just for a moment. Lorelai headed into the kitchen, wondering if she had any Chinese takeout left. That was when she noticed the glaringly obvious lack of life coming from the cage on the kitchen table.

"Oh, no. No, no. okay. Stella, do something. Show yourself. Molt or chirp or something. Oh this is so not funny. Not funny, not funny. Oh this is so unbelievable. All day long, just chirps like a maniac at the top of her lungs. Now, nothing. Silence. Marcel Marceau chicken. Okay, that's okay," Lorelai tells herself, trying to calm her frantically racing heart. "I can fix this. We can fix this," She reminded herself, going to the phone and starting to dial the all too familiar number.

"I'm going to make this better. I'm going to fix…" Lorelai repeated to herself, until she heard the click of someone answering the phone at the other end, "Hello?"

"Yeah?" She heard that cool voice ask in return.

"Luke? Stella got out and I don't know - do I put seed on the floor? Do I make cheeping sounds? Or do I pull a Lucy Ricardo and walk like a chicken so she thinks I'm her mother?" Lorelai asked, vaguely aware of how insanely crazy she sounded.

"Who the hell is this?" Luke asked her, sounding confused.

"What do you mean who is this? It's Lorelai. Who else would call you looking for her baby chick?" Lorelai asked, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

She could hear Luke sigh through the phone before he admitted, "You're right. I'm the idiot. Go on."

"Could you come over here, please, and help me?" Lorelai asked him.

"Uh, yeah, okay. I'll be right there," Luke answered, trying not to think about the tone of desperation in her voice and the things that her tone implied would happen when he got over to her house.

"Okay, hurry!" Lorelai told him, before hanging up and continuing her frantic search for Stella, the missing chick.

It wasn't very long till Lorelai heard a knock on the door.

"Thank God," Lorelai said, quickly opening the door and pulling him in by his collar. She shut the door again just as quickly as she had opened it, not wanting to give Stella the chance to escape.

"This place is a disaster. What's going on?" Luke asked, confused by the state of the place. He couldn't help but think that she didn't really need to make up some insane situation to get him in bed with her. All she had to do as bat those dark, long lashes of hers and he would do whatever she asked of him.

"Okay," Lorelai started to explain, unaware of the thoughts that were going through his head. She pulled him with her as she started to walk, continuing, "The last sighting was here, by the InStyle magazine. But then she burrowed through the Glamour and jumped over the Cosmo and knocked over a brand new bottle of nail polish so all I can tell you is if there was any doubt that this chick was a girl, well, there isn't anymore."

Before Luke could reply, he heard a soft chirp.

"Okay, there she is!" Lorelai said quickly and excitedly, trying to trace where the sound came from.

"Jeez," Luke said, "What was that?"

Lorelai didn't hear his questioning, far more focused on finding the chick. "Stella! Stella!" She called, as if the chick would recognize her name like a dog or any other domesticated animal.

"You really do have a chick loose in here," Luke stated dumbly.

"Yeah, I told you I had a chick loose in here," Lorelai replied, before spotting the chick, "There she goes by the kitchen!"

Lorelai quickly ran after the chick, not wanting to lose sight of her. Luke followed behind quickly, trying not to think about the fact that Lorelai didn't ring him to come over and jump his bones like he had suspected.

"Don't step on her!" Lorelai yelled at him.

"She cut right in front of me!" Luke argued back.

"Okay well she's being graded so let's not squash her."

"Well then tell her to watch where she's going," Luke told her, giving her a shove towards the runaway chick.

An hour later, they were still trying to get Stella back into her cage. The house was far messier than it was before, but that was the furthest thing from their minds.

"I swear, she went over there," Lorelai told Luke, pointing towards a chair in the lounge.

"We looked over there," Luke reminded her, picking up a couple of pillows and moving them aside so he could keep looking.

"Well, she went under that chair and she didn't come out," Lorelai answered, following behind him to see what he was doing.

"We moved the chair, we searched the floor, nothing."

Lorelai sighed, "Well then she went under the chair and through a hole in the floor."

"There is no hole in the floor," He told her, again thinking about how ridiculous this night as. He had come over thinking that maybe she had changed her mind, that maybe she wanted him. But here he was, trying to find a chicken.

Lorelai thought for a second before suggesting, "Well maybe there was a hole in the floor and she crawled through it and fixed it."

This time it was Luke's turn to sigh. "So she's s super intelligent chick with great physical and deductive skills?" He asked Lorelai.

"Yes," She deadpanned.

"Oh, this is not a chick I want to find."

Lorelai didn't respond but instead finally worked up the nerve to ask him what had been on her mind for a while now. "Hey, Luke, what did you mean earlier?"

Luke turned to look at her, confused, "What are you talking about?"

"When you got here. You made some comment about me not really having a chick in the house," Lorelai mentioned with a little shrug.

"Hmm," Luke answered, noncommitting in his response.

Lorelai took that as a sign to continue where she was going with her question, "I mean, if I didn't have a chick here, why did you think I was calling?"

Luke tried not to freeze. He couldn't tell her what he had really thought, so he decided in a split second to deny any other motive for coming to her rescue, "No, I thought you were calling about the chick."

"It didn't seem like it," Lorelai commented, raising her brows and looking at him rather pointedly with her blue eyes.

"Well maybe it didn't seem like it but it was."

Lorelai was suddenly confused again so she asked, "Was what?"

Luke sighed out of frustration this time. "Was what I thought," He told her, before asking, "Can we just keep looking?"

"OK. I just still think that…" Lorelai started before she was interrupted by Luke's well timed shout of, "There she is!"

"Where?"

"There!" Luke told her, pointing towards a lamp. He moved and dived to grab the chick before she ran away again.

Lorelai winced at the resounding crash that followed. "Careful," She told him ironically with a grin as he turned his head to scowl at her.

Luke handed the struggling chick to her before he stood up. Lorelai headed back to the kitchen to return her to her cage, saying as she went, "She's never going anywhere ever again. I'm thinking of slipping some super glue on the bottom of the cage. That would be bad, right? I mean, I know staples are bad but what's the verdict on super glue?"

"Ask Stella," Luke told her, following her in with the broken lamp shoved into a cardboard box.

"Oh, you don't have to do that," Lorelai said, seeing him with the box.

Luke answered her with a shrug, nonchalantly telling her, "This stuff is sharp. I want to get it out of the way."

"Well, thanks for helping," She said quietly, with a soft smile stretched across her lips.

"No problem. I'm going to throw this stuff outside," He said, stepping out and leaving Lorelai to her thoughts again.

Lorelai found herself thinking back to what she had asked him earlier. Why had he sounded so surprised that there was a chick running rampant throughout her house? She had asked him to come look for the chick. She thought she had made that perfectly clear when she had called him. So why the hell didn't he think that was why she asked him to come over. It honestly made no sense to her.

Before she could mull his positive motives over in her mind, Luke came back inside.

"I'm going to head home now," Luke told her with a nod of his head.

"Oh, no," Lorelai said. "Stay, have a beer."

Luke paused for a second before saying, "Alright. One couldn't hurt."

"Good," Lorelai said, grabbing two bears from the fridge. She opened them both then handed one to Luke.

"Thanks, Lorelai," Luke told her, taking a seat at the kitchen table. Lorelai followed suit, taking a sip from her bear as she did.

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Lorelai finished the sentence she had been in the middle of saying when Luke had spotted Stella.

"Luke, I still don't think you came over because you thought I needed help finding Stella," She stated, her eyes looking up from underneath her lashes to gauge his reaction. She watched as his jaw tightened.

"Well, I did," Luke responded tightly, not offering anything else.

"No, you didn't," Lorelai said flatly.

"Okay, I'm going home now," Luke told her, standing and leaving his unfinished bear on the table. He started to head out the door, but was stopped by the feel her fingers gripping his arm.

"No, please don't go, Luke," Lorelai said softly. "Just tell me why you came over. I won't laugh or anything, I promise. It can't be that bad, can it?"

Luke sighed, not turning around to face her. He didn't want to see her blue eyes looking up at him, filled with questions he didn't think he could answer without feeling like he had overstepped the line stupid, imaginary line she had been talking about earlier in the diner.

"Luke…"

"I can't tell you, Lorelai," Luke responded finally. "You won't like it."

"I don't care, Luke," Lorelai told him, getting more and more concerned. Why wouldn't he just tell her?

Luke said nothing, just stood there, hoping that she would release her tight grip on his arm so he could leave. He knew that she probably wouldn't. She was always stubborn like that.

"Why won't you just tell me? Luke? Come on!" She said, her voice rising in volume as she started to get angry at his silence. What the hell was his problem?

"Fine!" He yelled back, turning to face her, and pulling him hard against her. He covered her lips with his before she could react, kissing her with only a hint of the desire he felt for her. Luke pulled his lips back from hers after a moment, letting his hands drop from her waist. He said nothing, giving her a chance to gather her thoughts, but from the blank expression on her face, he gathered that it might take a while.

"Oh," Lorelai said, unable to manage anything else. Had he really just kissed her? She raised her fingers to her lips to touch them gently. She could still remember how perfectly his lips had fitted against hers, how warm his breath was on her skin. The weirdest thing for her was that him kissing her felt so natural, so normal.

"Oh?" Luke asked, just watching her try to process what had just happened.

"Oh," Lorelai repeated dumbly. She didn't know what to say to him because she didn't even know what to think about him kissing her.

Luke gave a few more minutes before he said softly, "I'm going to go now."

Lorelai nodded, looking at him, expression still blank.

"Um, ring me," Luke told her, "If you want to talk or anything." He looked at her one last time before he turned and slipped out the back door, leaving her alone and uncomprehending in her kitchen.


	3. Give Me Cheese

**A/N:** **Thanks for the reviews guys, I really appreciate them. They certainly encourage me to keep going with the story. I try to reply to all of the reviews I can through PM, so hopefully I got to everyone. So do let me know what you think of this one, it all helps!**

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 **I want to love you. The corners of your heart no-one's been to. I wanna know you. Run my fingers down the creases and unfold you.**

 _ **-I Want To Love You, Lenachka**_

* * *

 **Give Me Cheese**

The last few hours of Lorelai Gilmore's life had flown by in a rush of emotion and bad decision making. First, her mother had idiotically thought getting Rory's parents and grandparents in the same room was a good idea. Lorelai had felt like she was 16 years old again, standing in a room full of people who informed her of all the ways she had managed to not only ruin her own life, but Christopher's, and through extension, Rory's. Secondly, after she had tried to thank her father for defending her like he had, he had spun it around and had made her feel even worse. Upset and needing to feel something other than guilt and self-hatred, Lorelai had made her third, and biggest, mistake of the night. She had slept with Christopher.

Lorelai knew she had a certain flare when it came to causing her life to explode, but this was certainly on her list of top five screw-ups. She was pretty sure it was right near the top, it's only competition the time she thought it would be a good idea to get pregnant. While she had never regretted having Rory, she had regretted the things she had missed out on; college, a chance at a real career, travelling and exploring. This though, the Christopher thing, was just… She couldn't even think of the right word to describe it.

She didn't know what she was going to do about Christopher. He obviously wanted something from her. He wouldn't stop talking about his great life in California. Chris had told her about how he had a successful business and how he was trying to make up for lost time, whatever the hell he meant by that. It was clear that he was trying to make her see him differently somehow, but it wasn't entirely clear what he had been trying to achieve.

Lorelai sighed, looking up at her bedroom ceiling. Light streamed in through the windows. She guessed it was around six or seven in the morning, but it didn't really matter to her, because she hadn't slept a wink all night.

Coffee, she thought. That was she needed, the delicious brown liquid which kept her walking and talking. But she couldn't just go downstairs, because if she made coffee Christopher would wake up and she certainly was not ready to have that conversation with him yet. Was it too early to go to Luke's? No. He was always up early. Mmm, she thought, Luke's coffee… And then it dawned on her.

"Oh no!" Lorelai said, horror sweeping over her face. "Aah!"

What had she done? What in the world had she been thinking? Was she insane? Luke, oh God, Luke. She had stood him up, after he had kissed her in her kitchen and then she had slept with stupid Christopher again. She hadn't thought she would manage to screw up again so badly and so soon. But here she was, proving herself wrong yet again. She grabbed for a jacket and a pair of shoes, hurrying down the stairs and out the door, not caring who she woke up in the process. The only thing Lorelai knew was that she had to go to Luke's.

When she finally made it to the diner, it was locked and she couldn't see any sign of Luke. So she sat down on the front step and waited, head in her hands. Lorelai tried to process everything that had happened, but she couldn't. She didn't want to think about the kiss and she certainly didn't want to think about her trampy balcony moment.

Lorelai sat there for about half an hour before Luke finally made an appearance. As soon as she heard him approach, she quickly stood up, her face quickly going wide eyed and apologetic as she told him honestly, "I feel horrible."

Luke could barely look her in the eye, Lorelai noticed straight away. He couldn't manage much more than a simple, "Don't."

"I stood you up and I didn't even call."

"It's ok," Luke told her, unable to totally hide the disappointment in his eyes.

"I'm a rat," Lorelai told him, trying to lighten the mood, willing to do anything for him to stop looking at her like he was. "We had a date and I stood you up."

Luke sighed and told her, "It wasn't a date, it was just a paint."

"I'm a rat, I need cheese!"

He sighed again and told her, "Forget it." He started to turn from her, done with her apologies.

"Hey, hey," Lorelai said, reaching out and taking his arm, not wanting him to just walk away from her like that, "Let's reschedule." Lorelai watched his eyes glance down at her hand on his arm, and knew he was thinking about last night. She had gripped his arm to stop him from going last night, and had made him tell why he thought she had asked him over. And then he had kissed her.

"You know, I really didn't even want to do it in the first place," Luke told her finally, pulling his arm from her grip. He didn't want to know that she affected him like her did and he really didn't want her to know that her touching him like that stung even more.

"No, no come on," Lorelai said, eyes pleading with him to let her do this with him, "Don't change your mind. We could do it tonight or - or right now."

"Was it an emergency?" Luke asked her quietly, his dark blue eyes trained on hers.

"Yes. You would not believe what happened. I slipped and I busted my…" Lorelai tried to explain, breaking off when she saw the expression on his face. Luke's eyes told her that he knew she was lying to him. "It wasn't an emergency. It was just me being a rat," Lorelai ended up admitting, rather lamely.

"Something came up?" Luke asked her quietly, eyebrows raised, even though Lorelai knew that he knew or at least suspected that Christopher was the reason she hadn't kept her promise to help him paint the diner.

"Yeah."

"Something," Luke stated, before switching to, "Someone," his eyes accusing.

"Luke," Lorelai said gently, though his name came out as more of a sigh than anything else.

"Am I right?"

"I'm sorry," was all Lorelai could manage.

"Yeah, ok," Luke replied, just accepting her apology. "Well I'm late," He added, turning away from her and opening the door to the diner.

"Oh," Lorelai told him, watching him disappear.

Lorelai made her way back home slowly. She knew she couldn't talk to Luke right then, he wasn't in the mood for it. Neither was she, if she was honest. Lorelai had hurt him too much, just by implying that she and Christopher had slept together. She sighed. Luke had kissed her and then she had to just turn around and sleep with someone who was very much not Luke. While Luke was calm and collected, responsible and mature, Chris was anything but.

She trudged her way up the porch steps, feeling defeated. Lorelai let herself in the house and headed into the kitchen, thinking that now was the time to get some water, or maybe a pop-tart or two I there were any left in the almost always bare cupboards.

"Where were you?" Christopher asked when he saw her trudge in from out of the corner of his eye. He was making himself some coffee, leaning against the counter causally.

"Fruitlessly trying to rectify a ratty transgression," Lorelai told him honestly, without giving too much away. She didn't want to talk about her and Luke, not that she knew that there was even a Luke and her to talk about anymore.

"Oh," Christopher said like he understood what she was on about. After years of trying to understand the way Lorelai came up with some of her answers, he had just learnt to accept that he would never understand. "You want some coffee?" He asked.

"No," Lorelai replied with a small sigh.

"What?" Chris asked her, genuinely surprised.

"What?"

"Well I know you well enough to know that when you say no to coffee, especially in the morning, all is not right in Whoville," Christopher reminded her, moving to stand in front of her, concern in his eyes.

"Very astute," Lorelai answered him with a tight smile.

"So..." Christopher stated, "Last night."

Lorelai nodded, knowing she wasn't getting out of this conversation easily, "Last night was Chernobyl and the Hindenburg combined."

"Right, just checking."

"My father almost hit someone," Lorelai reminded him. "My father has probably only hit another man in college wearing boxing gloves and one of those Fred Mertz golden gloves pullover sweaters."

"Fred Mertz?" He questioned, brows raised again. She was certainly weird this morning.

"'I Love Lucy' - Fred Mertz," Lorelai explained.

"Landlord to Ricki, husband to Ethel, I know. It's just a weird reference."

"Hello, pajamas," Lorelai told him as if it was obvious, gesturing towards her outfit.

"Right. Continue."

"My father had a meltdown, first with your father..." Lorelai continued.

"He was asking for it," Chris interjected with a nod.

"...and then with me," Lorelai said, before waving her hands between the two of them with a completely done expression on her face, "And then you and me - oh boy."

"Don't say it like that," Christopher said, not particularly liking the way she had described their quick moment on the balcony.

"Stupid. Dumb."

"Much better."

Lorelai ignored his remark and kept going, walking around to the sink as she did, "And to top off the whole fabulous fiasco, I stood up a friend of mine, who was counting on me and, and he just stood there looking hurt with the paint and the chairs and it hurt me. And it's not your fault but in this parade of stupid and dumb, I am the one twirling the flaming baton."

"Lor?" Chris asked, hesitating a little but thinking that this was his chance to voice the real reason he had come to Stars Hollow, of all places.

"What?"

"I want to marry you."

Lorelai stared at him, dumbfounded. When she managed to speak, she was incredulous in doing so, "And the hits just keep on coming."

After Lorelai had managed to convince Christopher that his insane proposition was just not going to happen, he had started to pack up. He claimed he had to go back to work, but Lorelai knew that was not the only reason he was leaving. Chris had come back for her and she had turned him down. She didn't know what had happened to make him so insistent that they should get married- maybe he had broken up with someone, or maybe someone had him over the head with an anvil- but either way, he had come for her more than he had for Rory. It was just another reason he had unknowingly given her to say no to him. If he couldn't place Rory's needs above Lorelai's and his own, he wasn't ready for all the commitments that being a proper family entailed.

Now they were outside, Rory and herself, watching Chris pack a last couple of things into his saddle bags. He was ready to go. The only thing left to do was saying goodbye for what felt like the umpteenth time. Christopher never stayed.

"So call us when you get home," Rory told her Dad, with her doe eyes large and blue. Her dad visiting Stars Hollow had been new and abrupt. Her mom had told her not to read too much into it, but after overhearing her parents arguing in the kitchen that morning, she hadn't been able to help it.

"I will," Christopher told his daughter with a smile.

"And call more," She added, walking up to him.

"I will," He tells her, pulling her into a warm hug. "See ya," Chris adds, kissing her head briefly before whispering something into her ear.

Rory couldn't help the small smile that stretched over her lips as she turned saying to her mom, "Dad wants to know if you'll reconsider."

Lorelai beckoned Rory over so she could whisper her response to Rory in the same way Chris had done. She smiled at Chris as Rory turned around to give him the answer with a little grin.

"She says 'Nope. Offspring sucks and Metallica rules.'"

"Fair enough," Chris says, stepping forward a bit to kiss and hug Lorelai goodbye. The taste of her lips against his was bitter and sad. She had turned him away again, but he had always kind of known she would.

"Drive safe," Lorelai tells him before he pulls away. He nods, before getting on his motorbike and driving off. Lorelai and Rory watched him turn out of the drive together.

"He asked you to marry him, didn't he?" Rory asked quietly, glancing at her mother's expression.

Lorelai sighed. She should have known Rory had been listening that morning. It wasn't as if she had been quiet telling Chris exactly how crazy he was.

Luke hadn't been able to stop thinking about Lorelai and Christopher. He had been trying hard to not think about her wrapped up in his arms, letting him touch her and kiss her in all the ways Luke wished she would let him.

And when he wasn't thinking Lorelai with him, he was thinking about how he had kissed her. It hadn't looked as if she had hated the ordeal, but the act that she had gone and slept with some other guy certainly stung.

He was thinking about the way her lips had felt against his and her soft, peach smelling hair as he reached the diner.

"What the?" Luke asked, stepping into the diner and seeing Lorelai standing in the middle of it. She was covered in paint and a huge grin split across her face at seeing his surprise. He realized she must have been up insanely early that morning if she had managed to paint the entire diner all by herself.

"Taa-daa!" Lorelai said excitedly, spreading her arms like a magician's assistant. She let him take in all the work she had done. From the look on his face she knew she was relatively forgiven, which had been the motive behind the decision to just paint the diner by herself. Lorelai had wanted to make up her less that honourable screw up to him but hadn't known how to ask if they were okay.

After everything that had happened it had seemed a bit ridiculous to simply ask, "Are we okay?" So instead she had settled for showing him how sorry she was. While she wasn't quite sure how she felt about the kiss yet, no matter how good it had been, Lorelai hadn't wanted to lose their friendship. He was her best friend.

"How'd you get in here?" Luke just asked, turning around on the spot to look at the diner. She had done a pretty good job, not that he would ever say that to her. From the grin still on her face, he knew she was proud enough of her efforts as it was. Her ego didn't need another boost.

"You're bread guy let me in," Lorelai told him.

"I'm switching bread guys," Luke replied.

"What do you think?"

He sighed, "I think you shouldn't break and enter."

"So what do you think?" Lorelai repeated her question.

Luke knew Lorelai would never let him out of saying what he thought of the new paint job, so he gave in and told her, "Well I gotta admit, it looks alright."

"Oh, I knew you'd like it," Lorelai said casually, as if it was a given. Luke couldn't help but wonder whether or not her casual answer was because Lorelai knew that she could get him to do anything that she wanted him to with ease.

"Thanks," He answered her noncommittedly.

"Anytime. It's fun," Lorelai replied, just as gleeful as she had been when he had first walked in. Luke was almost certain that all the paint fumes had gotten to her head. It certainly explained why she was acting a little bit crazier than usual and to an extent, it explained why she loved painting so much.

"So, uh, where's the guy?" Luke asked casually, wondering what had happened. From what he knew of Rory's dad, he didn't stick around long and he had never made a trip to the Hollow before. Luke reached for one of the chairs on the nearest table, turning it over and putting it down.

Lorelai replied just as casually, "Oh he's gone." She followed his leading, putting the chairs down as she talked.

"Oh, too bad," He answered, though he couldn't help feel relieved that Lorelai's one night stand had been just that, a one night stand.

"We'll be fine. Luke?"

"Yeah?" Luke asked her, a little wary of the tone in her voice. It was the same one she used whenever she wanted something from him.

"Um, can I make one more suggestion?"

"No," Luke told her flatly.

"Curtains?" Lorelai asked, her voice hopeful.

"No."

"Manly curtains?" She asked, as if that would change his mind.

"Oxymoron."

"What did you call me?" Lorelai asked, feigning at being offended.

"No curtains," Luke told her firmly, though a small smile played at the corners of his lips. He had thought that after yesterday and their conversation that morning that their friendship would be strained at best. Now that it clearly wasn't, he couldn't help but be a little happy.

"Aw," Lorelai pouted, "Come on. You gotta give a little. How about a tablecloth?"

"No. We don't do tablecloths here," He told her, rolling his eyes as he stepped back around the counter. "Coffee?" Luke asked, wanting to get her off the subject. There had been enough change in the diner for one day.

"Do you know me at all?" Lorelai asked him with a smirk, sitting down at one of the bar stools. Luke started to make the coffee, his back to her as she asked, "Hey, Luke?"

Her tone made him pause. It was lot more serious than it had been a moment ago. It was very clear to him what Lorelai wanted to talk about, though he wasn't quite sure about whether it was the time or place to have the conversation.

"Yes?" He asked her with a sigh, glad he had the coffee machine as an excuse to keep his back to her for a bit longer.

"I want you to know that I didn't hate it, when, you know," Lorelai trailed off, leaving his mind to fill in the blanks himself.

She hadn't hated the kiss? Luke frowned a moment before asking her, wanting to hear her actually say the words, "Hate it when, what?"

Luke heard Lorelai sigh. "I didn't hate it when you kissed me," She admitted, voice neutral and not giving anything away.

"Yeah?" Luke inquired, turning around to look at her face. Her expression was just as nonchalant as her voice had been.

"Yeah."

"Okay."

"And…" Lorelai started, before considering what she was going to say again. Luke said nothing, just stared at her, waiting. "And I wouldn't be averse if you did it again sometime, but only when we were alone, of course. I can't give you anything more, not yet anyway. I'm not ready, and well, Rory has just had her hopes crushed again so she sure as hell isn't ready either. So we're friends, with the benefit of kissing. If you don't want to, I totally understand because it is a little weird but it really was a very good kiss…" She told him, rambling.

Lorelai only stopped speaking because he had interrupted her with a quick, "Alright."

"Alright," She repeated back, blinking a couple of times. Lorelai clearly hadn't quite expected him to respond as he had done.

"So, coffee?" Luke asked again, changing the subject. Coffee was always a safe topic when it came to Lorelai Gilmore.

"To go, please," Lorelai replied.

Luke nodded, filling a foam cup with freshly made coffee and handing it to her. She gave him a quick smile as she took it and headed out of the diner without another word.

He watched her back as she left, wondering why the hell he had agreed to her proposal. It was weird, that was for sure. Actually, it was insane. Luke could kiss Lorelai, and he assumed she could kiss him. But he couldn't be in a relationship with her.

What the hell had she meant, she wasn't averse to it? That was just a weird thing to say. Given, it had been Lorelai saying it, but this whole friends-with-the-benefit-of-kissing thing was taking it to a whole new level. Had he really been so desperate in pining for her that he was willing to accept any scraps she decided to throw his way?

Luke sighed and reached for a rag, wiping at the counter as he tried to get his thoughts in order. Being able to kiss Lorelai was a plus but he wasn't sure how long he would be able to keep up not wanting more.

"Like a dog with a bone…" He muttered to himself, "Or a rat with cheese."


	4. Kissing The Devil

**A/N: So I know it's been a while, but I wrote half the chapter and then entered this huge writers block. Instead of writing I just kept myself busy and finally I came up with a way to end the chapter. I'm not necessarily a hundred percent happy with it, but I gave it my best shot so I hope you like it. You shouldn't have to wait too long for the next update- I think I've figured out where I'm going with this story at long last. And as always, please review! It's incredibly encouraging to hear what you guys think and to actually know you're engaged in the story! Thanks everyone.**

* * *

 **Home is an hour away.**

 **And I don't even know my name.**

 **And time bent like an hourglass.**

 **We want to forget about ourselves.**

 **Just 'til the night is through.**

 **But the way back is sliding out of view.**

 **\- Midnight River, VAULTS**

* * *

Lorelai hadn't thought about kissing Luke since the moment Rory had come home from her 3rd month anniversary with Dean, in tears because they had broken up. She hadn't had any time to think about anything. Rory had reacted to the break-up by holding in her feelings and refusing to let herself wallow, even if it was just for a day. She had jumped straight to being constantly busy. While Lorelai did admire her daughters ability to not think about the break-up, she knew that if Rory didn't let it all out soon, she would explode.

Late at night however, her thoughts turned to Luke. She still quite believe he had accepted her proposition and she really couldn't believe that before they had even put their arrangement into affect, bloody Rachel had shown up all perfect and exotic. And she had babbled on stupidly about coffee machines and sitting in closets, making a fool of herself in front of Luke and Rachel.

Lorelai wasn't quite sure where her and Luke stood anymore on the whole kissing thing. Would he still be willing, now that Rachel was back? Or would he change his mind? Lorelai wasn't quite sure which scenario she would prefer. Right then however, it was very early on a Saturday morning and her mind was occupied by Rory.

"Who are all these people?" Lorelai asked her daughter, as they stepped into Luke's Diner. She tried very hard not to think about what had happened between her and Luke. Rory was more important right then.

"It's the 6:00 am crowd," Rory responded, with a little shrug of her shoulders.

"I officially recognize nobody in this place," Lorelai commented, wondering if she had met any of them before around town, ever. She didn't think so. In all honesty Lorelai was certain she hadn't seen any one of them at a single town festival, event or meeting.

"Hey," A slightly accented voice said, sounding a bit too chirpy for 6am.

"Oh hi," Lorelai said, trying not to do a double take as she saw Rachel, Luke's on and off again long-term girlfriend, step behind the counter. What was Rachel doing, serving people and wearing Luke's apron like she owned the place? And where the hell was Luke?

"Coffee while you wait?" Rachel asked, in that annoyingly accented voice of hers.

"Oh bless you," Lorelai thanked her with a too bright smile, asking, "So Luke put you to work huh?"

Rachel acquiesced, "Yeah well I figured if I'm going to be hanging around here for a while the least I could do is help out."

Lorelai tried not to frown. "So you're gonna be hanging around for a while... Here?"

"Yeah I think so," Rachel responded with a small smile.

"Oh well that's nice," Lorelai told her. _Too bad you're the spawn of Satan, flitting in and out of Stars Hollow, playing with Luke's feelings and leaving him high and dry every time._

"Yeah," Rachel responded, as Rory appeared at Lorelai's side, most likely looking for coffee.

"So where is Luke?" Rory asked Rachel, asking the one question her mother had been trying not to ask.

"Well we were kind of up late last night so I let him sleep in," Rachel explained to Rory, not noticing Lorelai's eyes narrow a little.

Lorelai tried her best not to choke on her coffee at the last part. Rachel and Luke had stayed up late, and now he was sleeping in. She knew all too well what that meant. They had slept together. "Sleep in? Luke?" She asked, the back of her mind selfishly wondering what it was like to sleep with a man like Luke Danes. She hadn't considered it before, but Lorelai had to admit that the prospect of sleeping with Luke didn't freak her out. It was actually kind of intriguing.

"Oh, believe me, it wasn't easy to get him to agree to it," oh, I bet, Lorelai thought bitterly, "But in the end, a little sweet talk, a couple of Excedrin PM he finally caved."

Before Lorelai had the chance to respond, Rory butted in with, "Hey there's a seat over there."

"Great," Lorelai replied, managing another small.

"Oh go, go! I'll be over in a sec," Rachel said, waving her off towards the empty table.

"Okay," Lorelai replied, not able to get rid of the nagging feeling that Rachel wanted her to leave sooner rather than later.

After Rachel left, Lorelai busied herself with reassuring her daughter that no one in town knew about the breakup, even though in all honesty she didn't believe her assurances herself. They lived in Stars Hollow. When something like this happened to someone like Rory, the towns beloved angel, the news spread like wildfire.

Lorelai's suspicions were confirmed after Patty approached her and offered to shoulder some of the blame. The whole idea that the breakup could be Patty's fault was entirely ridiculous but Lorelai humoured the dance teacher satirically. She then made the move to ask Patty to try and keep the rest of the town from talking to Rory about the situation. She knew Patty could get everyone under control, hopefully before anymore damage was caused.

"Oh well, uh, good morning sleeping beauty," Lorelai said to Luke in a knowing tone, as the flannel wearing diner man made an appearance. She took in his appearance and noted that he did indeed look tired, like Rachel had claimed.

"Yeah, well you know Rachel thought I looked a little tired," Luke offered in explanation.

Lorelai nodded. Maybe you're tired because you were up half the night banging your Runaway Bride, Lorelai thought to herself a little bit bitterly before she said to Luke, sunshine in her voice, "No, it's good. You need a little break."

Luke wasn't going to disagree with that fact because ever since Lorelai's proposition, sleep hadn't come particularly easy to him. "I guess."

Lorelai shot him a quick smile, saying, "You do." She hesitated a brief second before she asked Luke, not quite knowing if the topic of Rachel was open to be discussed or not, "So she seems pretty comfortable here, huh?"

"Yeah well she always could just fit in places, you know. It's a talent of hers," Luke replied, quickly glancing over at Rachel. He was glad she was busy with the diner right then. He didn't want her overhearing anything Lorelai said to him until he figured out where they stood.

"She looks good in your apron," Lorelai commented, turning her own eyes towards the woman being discussed.

"Yeah well, can I get you anything?" Luke asked, obvious uncomfortable with the direction their conversation was taking.

Lorelai took the hint. She didn't want to argue with him, and especially not over Rachel. "Oh, um," Lorelai began, "Do you think you could make those really crazy chocolate chip pancakes and go extra heavy on the chocolate?"

Luke blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected Lorelai to back down so easily. "Yeah sure, any special occasion?" He asked to cover his surprise.

Luke watched Lorelai as she bit her lip softly then let out a long sigh, admitting to him quietly so that no one else could hear, "Dean broke up with Rory."

"What?!" Luke demanded, voice rising a little.

"Keep it down!" Lorelai told him, eyes commanding, "She doesn't want anybody to know about it."

Sadly for Lorelai, Luke was lost in the beginnings of a rant.

"Oh I knew it, I just knew that kid was trouble."

Lorelai nodded, quickly interjecting, "Yes you did, you knew it. Pancakes please".

Luke however was oblivious to anything but his rant, "Oh God, he's got a nerve. I mean what does he think he's gonna do better than Rory? Is he crazy? Jeez. Alright, well forget it ok. Good riddance, adios, bienvenidos, hasta la vista."

Lorelai raised her brows at his reference, but made the decision not to mock him right then for it. The pancakes were more important. She had a daughter pretending not to be heartbroken and while no food in the world could fix it, chocolate in any form was a good place to start. "Could we get off the small world ride and start cooking please?" Lorelai asked him, getting a little annoyed.

"How is she?" Luke asked softly, glancing over at the young Gilmore.

Lorelai's face softened, "She's been dumped by her first boyfriend."

"Oh man, I swear I would love to," Luke began, before breaking off when he noticed the expression on Lorelai's face, "Okay, I'm gonna put some whipped cream on the pancakes too."

Lorelai smiled. They were finally getting somewhere. "Thank you Luke," she told him sincerely.

"Yeah," Luke said, like he wasn't doing anything nice. For him, doing something like making a Gilmore girl something nice on a bad day was just part of his job description. He had made it his job to look after them a long time ago- much to Lorelai's initial chagrin- and he wasn't about to stop now just because Rachel had finally showed back up in his life.

"Not a word, ok?" Lorelai said, raising her brows. She didn't need Luke say anything to Rory either.

"I got it," Luke responded, turning to go and make the pancakes as requested.

Lorelai smiled at his retreating figure before she turned. The sight before wasn't surprising in the least. Kirk was standing next to Rory, offering his sincerest apologies in the same vein as Miss Patty had done. Lorelai let out a sigh before she headed over to save her daughter from further public embarrassment.

Not long after, Lorelai found herself manhandling Luke back into the diner after pulling him away from a fight with the 16 year old boy who had been accused of breaking her daughters heart.

"Inside now," She told him, giving him one last shove towards the diner doors. While she appreciated the fact that he loved Rory enough to try and keep Dean from even entering the diner, Lorelai didn't appreciate the Fight Club moment.

"I was just-" Luke started to explain, as he entered the diner and turned to face Lorelai.

"I know what you were doing, but don't Luke! That kid is 16. You don't try and beat him up in the middle of the street," Lorelai told him, "I love that you care enough about Rory to do that to Dean, Luke, but you can't do that to Rory. You can't air her dirty laundry or provide more fuel for the gossip machine."

Luke let out a sigh. Lorelai was right. "I know, you're right. I'm sorry," He told her with a little shrug of his shoulders.

Lorelai nodded and told him, "I know you are."

Luke took a moment then to glance around the diner and noticed that all eyes were on them. The whole room was silent, everyone concentrating on the exchange between the two of them with wide eyes. Luke noticed that Rachel was looking between them with a confused expression on her face. He filed that away in his brain for later. Now was not the time to deal with that can of worms.

"I'm, ah, going to go in the back and cool off for a bit," Luke told Lorelai.

Lorelai nodded, crossing her arms over her chest as he turned from her and headed through the door to the storeroom.

The diner erupted in conversation as the townies began to discuss excitedly exactly what had just gone down with the Rory-Dean-Lorelai-Luke situation they had just been witnesses to. With Luke gone, Lorelai noticed a couple of patrons had pulled out their cellphones to spread the news as quickly and effectively as possible.

Lorelai just shook her head and took a seat back at the table. Rachel came over and refilled her cup of coffee in silence, a thoughtful expression on her face. Lorelai smiled her thanks at the other woman, grateful for the gesture and forgetting for a moment that she didn't currently like Rachel.

She sipped her fresh cup of coffee as she waited for Rory to rejoin her, and wondering in the back of her mind what she was going to do about Luke.

* * *

Lucas Danes had never before met a woman as vivacious and full of life as Lorelai Gilmore. He had never met someone who could be strong and vulnerable, wise and foolish, loving or cold at the same time, in the same way that Lorelai could.

She had always intrigued him. Since the day she had walked into his diner five years ago, in a caffeine frenzy, Luke had been hooked. He had spent years trying to make sense of her constantly changing emotions and thought patterns, but now, he felt like he was back to square one.

During his cool off in the storeroom, Luke had found himself thinking about their new arrangement and the fact that she had said the word 'love' to describe the way she felt about how he had gone to defend Rory's honour like some white knight.

Thinking had only made him angry and frustrated. He didn't know where they stood in their friendship. He knew what he wanted from Lorelai ultimately- a proper relationship. But Lorelai didn't seem to know what she wanted from him and that was incredibly frustrating for him. Rachel's accusing eyes also hadn't helped. She had come back to town expecting him to be waiting for her and instead he had found a man who was very not in love her and very much in love with someone else. Whether or not she had picked up on the fact that it was Lorelai was a whole different question.

Luke had taken a moment to try and collect himself. He hadn't actually managed to get in control of his emotions- he still felt a rush of anger towards Lorelai for putting him in this position. But he had made himself go back out into the diner and continue on as if everything was okay. He brushed off Rachel's attempts to make sure he was okay. Instead, he threw himself into cleaning the tables and the counter, looking for something, for anything, that would help him not focus on the fact that Lorelai Gilmore was in the diner still.

It was something easier said than done.

Lorelai was sitting at a table, animatedly chatting away to Rory. She looked like she didn't have a worry in the world. Luke found it hard that she could brush things of so easily. He had always struggled with emotions and handling things, but Lorelai seemed to never let anything important affect her to the same extent that it did him.

Luke wiped a few more times at the counter, trying to look somewhat busy. As he wiped he became increasingly frustrated at Lorelai's giggling. It was loud and obnoxious. He gritted his teeth. Yelling at her would not help the situation at all. He was being ridiculous. Lorelai was always like this but for some reason, he found her carefree attitude particularly annoying today.

Actually, it wasn't for just some reason. He knew that. It was because he wanted her and he couldn't have her or yell at her or deal with any of his feelings with a diner full of people, and especially not with Rory and Rachel present.. Instead of yelling at her though, no matter how badly he wanted to, Luke headed back into the storeroom.

The silence in the storeroom made Luke sigh in relief. There was no more giggling, no more pretending nothing had happened between them and no more worrying about whether or not Lorelai and him had any relationship or friendship to speak of. Not speaking about the friends with kissing agreement was making Luke feel too insecure for his liking. It just felt like too much had been left unsaid. He started to count some of the stock he had, needing something to keep his mind busy.

"10, 15, 20…" Luke said, counting the pickle jars.

A pair of heels clicked on the ground behind him and he knew who it was, even before she opened her mouth or before the scent of her perfume registered in his brain. Lorelai's walk had always been so distinctive. It was how he knew she had entered the diner without looking up. The way she walked always made the bells jingle differently for her than anyone else. In the past, he had enjoyed her individualism. Right then however, he wished she was someone else.

"Luke?" Lorelai asked, in the same tone she used when she wanted him to do something for her.

"…25, 30…" Luke continued to count, ignoring her. He didn't want to talk to her right then.

"Luke," Lorelai repeated, this time a little more firmly.

Luke stopped counting. He didn't turn around to face her, because he was worried that if he did, she would use those blue eyes on him and he would feel his resolve crumble. Lorelai had that effect on him.

"Could you turn around please?" Her voice was suddenly hesitant to his ear. Luke couldn't help but frown a little. Lorelai rarely lacked any confidence. Her ego was taller than the Empire State Building.

Luke sighed, then turned around. "Yes, Lorelai?" He asked her, voice even. He was very careful to avoid looking directly in her eyes.

Lorelai stepped forward, and tilted her head to the side a little as she considered him. She was clearly a little self-conscious about whatever it was she wanted from him- maybe she needed a few roof shingles fixed again- but was now reconsidering even asking.

"Just say it, Lorelai," Luke told her, frustrated, "I don't have all day."

"Alright, um," Lorelai said, her gaze dropping to her feet for a moment and then back up to his eyes before she asked, "Are we okay?"

Luke considered her question. Were they okay? He didn't actually have an answer for her so he responded softly, "I don't know."

He watched as Lorelai pursed her lips and nodded slowly, doing that thing he knew she did when she was struggling to not get emotional. He mentally berated himself for a quick moment because he hated being the cause of that face.

"Okay," Lorelai said.

"Look, if you want to talk," Luke began after a few minutes of silence passed.

Lorelai looked at him, her face a little angry. There was a look, a spark, in her eyes that he was happy to see- mainly because it meant they were no longer shimmering with tears- but then he remembered that it wasn't necessarily a good thing to be on the receiving end of that expression.

"Okay, yeah, lets talk," Lorelai said a little scathingly, "So, Rachel, huh? What is she doing back here? Why did she come back? Did she come back for you? Are you together?"

Luke sighed. He should have known this was coming. Even if they didn't have this weird kissing arrangement, Lorelai still would be asking these questions. Maybe she wouldn't be asking in the same tone, but she would still have asked.

"Yes, Rachel is back. Why? I'm not quite sure that she even knows. She got a plane to Hartford on a spur of the moment. She didn't know what she was doing and when she showed up on my door I couldn't turn her away because she's one of my oldest friends... And if I had started a relationship with her, it would be any of your business would it?" Luke asked Lorelai, getting angrier as he spoke.

"None of my business?" Lorelai asked him. "I'm your friend, Luke!"

"Oh, is that what we're calling it now?" Luke asked, incredulous.

"We're calling what, Luke?" Lorelai demanded.

"Our-" Luke started, "Whatever the hell is going on between us!"

Lorelai stared at him, suddenly comprehending exactly what was going on. Neither of them knew where they stood and so they were yelling at each other. Communication had never been their strong suit.

"What?" Luke asked, suddenly sobered and confused by the small smile on her lips.

"Nothing," She responded, grin growing wider.

"Obviously something's up because you're grinning like a Cheshire," Luke commented.

"You know the Adventures Of Alice In Wonderland?" Lorelai asked, letting out a laugh.

"What if I do? I'm not a complete shut in. I have a little sister, Lorelai, and anyway, that's beside the point," Luke told her, shaking his head at her laughing face, "What's going on?"

"Remind me to mock you later," Lorelai told him before taking a step closer to him. "Kiss me," She ordered, looking up at him with her blue eyes.

Luke stared at her, not quite sure how they had suddenly reached this point where she was asking him to kiss her in the middle of the storeroom, next to a box of pickles. Obviously the friends and kissing arrangement was still in affect. He blinked as she took another step closer to him. He could smell the scent of her perfume now, and it was as intoxicating as he remembered.

"You can kiss me, Luke, I'm not going to break, or run. I like kissing you, remember?," Lorelai reminded him softly, her eyes trained on his.

Luke nodded, his hands moving automatically to her waist to pull her closer. She leant in and Luke met her halfway, feathering a series of light kisses in her lips. Lorelai returned the gesture, her hands moving to hold his face to hers as they kissed each other again and again lightly.

They pulled away a little to rest their foreheads together. Lorelai's eyes had closed at some point- she wasn't quite sure when. Luke's eyes were open, watching her breathe in and out.

"Wow," Lorelai breathed out. It was the only word she had to describe what she was feeling. Kissing Luke was definitely a good thing if the warm feeling in her stomach was anything to go by.

"Yeah, wow," Luke murmured back, closing his eyes to enjoy their moment.

"Again?" Lorelai inquired.

In answer, Luke pressed his lips back to hers. They kissed each other softly again, both getting used to each other in away that was only necessary when friends were crossing a line to becoming something more. He ran his tongue across her bottom lip, forcing Lorelai to let out a soft moan. The sound only encouraged him to seek entrance into her mouth, which she granted readily. Lorelai's hands moved from the sides of his face to his hair. The kiss deepened naturally as their tongues glided against each other.

It was Lorelai who broke away first, breathing heavily and eyes filled with desire.

Luke leaned back against the pickle shelf, his eyes opening to watch Lorelai who seemed to be struggling to get in control of herself. Luke wasn't finding it particularly easy either because he had just been kissing the woman of his dreams. The kiss had surpassed any of his expectations a hundred fold.

"Okay, I'm going to go back out before Rory gets suspicious," Lorelai told Luke the minute she got in control of her breathing and her face no longer felt flushed.

Luke nodded mutely.

"I guess I'll, ah, kiss you later?" Lorelai joked before she hurried from the storeroom.

Luke fixed his gaze to the spot she had been standing, trying to figure out how he felt about all of this. He raised his hands to his lips, feeling gently and realising slowly that they were a little swollen from Lorelai's fervent kisses.

He let out a slow, choking laugh. Lorelai had kissed him hard enough to make his lips swollen and that idea was as ridiculous to him as their whole kissing-but-still-friends relationship.

Luke heard Lorelai's laughter come from the diner and it sobered him up completely. He knew he should be feeling ecstatic right then, considering the fact that Lorelai Gilmore wanted him to kiss him. But the truth was, he felt like he had somehow sold his soul to the devil.


End file.
